One Word
by Mockingjaybird
Summary: A series of one-shots based on words. Please review! Title subject to change
1. Barefoot

**AN-Hi! So I wanted to start one of these for Tangled. The way it'll go is you, the reader, can send me a review/PM for a word and I write a one-shot for it! I've always loved these kind of fics. Disclaimer and enjoy! **

….

The cramped, enclosed space of the shoe was uncomfortable, and even more so-new. The back of her heel felt unstable as she took a tentative step forward. Even with her hands out to her side to get balanced, Rapunzel couldn't help but feel like she was going to topple over at any moment. Her etiquette trainer, Maria, shook her head in disappointment.

"No, no, no! Princess, you can't have your hands out when you're walking in heels! You need to walk confidently, head up, eyes forward. Like this-"

Maria walked over to the carpeted runway and demonstrated for Rapunzel in a confident manner. "Now you try."

Rapunzel nodded and took a deep breath. She could do confident.

Her new first step was longer and stable. She managed more than a quarter of the way down the runway before her foot tripped over her other heel. Rapunzel stumbled and couldn't catch herself in time, colliding with the floor, landing on her knees. The Royal crown rolled itself onto the wooden floor. The sound echoed off the walls.

The servants in the room froze and the attention was turned on the princess. Heat rose to Rapunzel's cheeks and her emerald eyes were glued to the fallen crown.

In a moment, servants were rushing to Rapunzel's aid, some inspecting the beloved crown for damage and others helping Rapunzel to her feet. While being helped up, Rapunzel's foot stepped backwards on her dress skirts when she was being lifted up.

The ripped skirts showed from underneath some of the top skirts, making the dress look awkward and broken.

Maria sighed impatiently and annoyed. "I think a break is in order. We'll pick this up after lunch, Princess Rapunzel." She exited the room with a frustrated air around her. Servants followed her cue out and Rapunzel was handed the crown.

As everyone cleared the room, Rapunzel looked at the crown in her hands. How could she have let this thing touch the floor with her carelessness in the manner that it did?

She sank to the ground and the pain in her feet was now noticeable. Placing the crown besides her, she yanked off the heels. Her feet soaked in the cool air and she flexed her cramped toes.

Why did heels, or any shoes for that matter, have to be so…difficult and constricting? Today, they had caused her more trouble than she had wanted.

Rapunzel then looked at her bare feet. Having no shoes on made her feet feel free. She could feel the grass, the dirt, the pavement beneath her toes.

Why couldn't Maria see that she just wasn't good with shoes?

"What's the matter?" a familiar voice asked from near the door. Rapunzel looked up. Eugene stood from the doorway, a concerned look on his face.

"I messed up. Big time."

His footsteps came closer. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, crouched down in front of her.

Rapunzel looked up at him with big, embarrassed eyes. "I tripped and ripped my dress, Maria's mad at me…and I dropped the crown."

Eugene's eyebrows rose. "You did?"

"Yes…All because of heels." Rapunzel wrung her hands in her lap and glanced at the heels on the floor.

Eugene's lips began to form a smile of laughter. She looked up at him to see his smile. "Eugene! It's not funny!"

He finally chuckled and said, "I know. Sorry, it's just I can't believe they tried putting shoes on you. I know you like being barefoot more."

Rapunzel smiled at how Eugene knew her like that. But that still didn't fix the problem at hand- how to conquer heels.

"Maria said we'd continue after lunch. I don't know what I'm going to do."

Eugene smiled for second time that day. He had an idea.

"Meet me back here in ten minutes. Change, go do whatever, but meet me back here. Okay?"

Rapunzel looked at him skeptically as he helped her to her feet. He placed the crown back on her head, handed her the heels, and guided her towards the door.

"Remember ten minutes."

Rapunzel couldn't fathom what Eugene had in mind. Changing her dress and determined to be on time, Rapunzel headed back to the room.

When she got there, boots and heels lay on the floor in front of her. "Eugene, what-?"

"This is my plan. I believe in order for you to get used to heels, or shoes in general, you have to wear them. With the help of some servants, I've managed to gather some shoes to help you. So, these are riding boots-they have a low heel, something that's easy to get used to. Here."

He handed her the polished brown boots. She put them on, wiggling her toes through. Normally, she didn't wear riding boots when she rode Max, but at least the boots felt roomier than the heels.

"Alright. Blondie, if you could please walk down the carpet," Eugene instructed.

Rapunzel walked with ease down one end and back the other.

"Eugene, what's the point of this?" she asked.

"It's going to help. Trust me," he said, handing her a new set of shoes-heels with a kitten heel, as the maids called it.

These shoes were somewhat like the boots; the heel wasn't so high. She managed to walk, again with ease.

"Good, good. Turn."

"What?"

"Turn around."

Rapunzel had no problems turning around and even spinning. "Eugene, we only have fifteen minutes," she pointed out.

"Just enough time to do the final test. Put these on." He handed her an identical pair of heels she had on earlier. This would be the tiebreaker.

_Come on Rapunzel, how hard could this be? Just the same as the other two _she thought.

The only sound in the room was the cautious first step back in the torturous heels. Another step forward and another. Each was slow until she reached the end of the carpet. The sense of accomplishment flooded Rapunzel's mind. She was lost in thought until Eugene's calling brought her out.

"Blondie? You can come back now!"

Rapunzel spun around on the ball of her foot, happily. On the way back, she took as long of a stride the heels would let her, all with a smile on her face toward Eugene. A smile formed on his face as she exclaimed, "Eugene, I can do it! Your plan worked! Thank you!"

He twirled her around in the air and their laughter filled the room. A loud knocking interrupted them.

"Sorry to interrupt, Princess, but it's time to finish your lesson," Maria stated, striding into the room.

Eugene set Rapunzel down, scooped up all the shoes, and backed away towards the wall. Maria raised an eyebrow at him. She didn't like the fact that Eugene was a former thief that was invited to stay in the castle.

"Oh, he can stay," Rapunzel said when she noticed the brief stare-off between the two.

"Alright princess. Please if you could, walk down the carpet and back," she instructed. "Without falling," she added to herself.

Taking a deep breath, Rapunzel walked down the carpet in a steady manner, not tripping, stumbling, or wobbling down. She turned on her heel and went back the same way, stopping in front of Maria.

"Very good, Princess. Very good indeed. Look like someone's been practicing," Maria said, highly amused. "Lessons are done for today."

She exited the room, leaving Eugene and Rapunzel smiling at each other.

"Thank you, Eugene. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to do it."

"I try," he joked, then added, "Come on, let's go find a place to put these," indicating to the pairs of shoes in his arms.

The two got maids to put them away, and made plans to meet up for lunch after Rapunzel went back to her room to take the heels off. Sitting on her royal bed, Rapunzel removed them, only for pain to endure after.

Her feet were swollen, achy, and had marks from where the shoes dug into her and all she could do was stare at them until Eugene came to collect her.

"Blondie? Are you okay?" he asked, standing in front of her. She looked up at him.

"Maybe I'll stick to being barefoot."

…

**AN-I hope you all liked that! I don't know why it was so long, so I guess the length of these will vary. Please review!**


	2. Hurt

**AN-Hi! Please review! Disclaimer and enjoy!**

…

The dark, cool sheets of Rapunzel's bed spread engulfed her in comfort, but it didn't stop the sobs that racked her body. She was hurt; hurt by the fact that Eugene had let a princess from a visiting kingdom flirt with him to which he had done nothing to stop her.

That had happened only a half an hour ago, when Rapunzel excused herself from the ball downstairs and ran up to her room, not even bothering to turn on the lights. She threw herself onto her bed, big lavender ball gown and all, before bursting into tears.

How could Eugene do this? Let it happen? Didn't he care about her enough to know when something went too far?

A rapid knocking seemed to hold an answer.

"Rapunzel!" a muffled voice called and knocked rapidly again. "Rapunzel open up! It's Eugene, please Rapunzel!"

Rapunzel tried to stifle a sob before it broke free.

The doorknob shook and rattled for a moment before it stopped. Then, a clicking sound later, and the door was thrown open.

"Rapun…zel? Eugene's call died down, and he stood there in silence, listening to her sobs, the moonlight from the uncovered window draping across the length of the bed.

The sound of her nearly caused him to break down himself.

…

_Flashback:_

_The atmosphere of the ball was lively. Everyone was dancing and talking. But Eugene couldn't find Rapunzel. He was now trapped by a talking princess, who was complimenting how courteous and wonderful Corona was. Eugene was scanning his eyes around for Rapunzel. He lost focus when the princess gasped. "Oh, you're the Prince Consort of Corona, are you not?"_

"_What? Oh, yes. I'm Eugene Fitzherbert. Pleased to meet you, Princess…?"_

"_Princess Felicity of Terren," she said, as Eugene kissed her hand, one of the latest etiquette lessons that had been forced upon him. He had been meaning to try it with Rapunzel to see what her reaction would be. _

"_Prince Eugene how would you like to come see the stars with me?" she asked. It seemed like an innocent question, but there was something laced behind it. _

_He smiled sweetly at her and caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Short brown hair engulfed in a light purple dress stood frozen before turning back around and disappearing through the throng of royals. _

_Eugene turned back to the waiting princess. "I'm sorry. I can't. Excuse me."_

_He left and followed the path that Rapunzel had just come from. _

_Eugene pushed through the crowd searching for the tiny brunette. He knew he screwed up. By just that look on her face, Eugene knew she had observed something completely different in her mind. Something caused him to look up at where the King, Queen, Rapunzel, and his' chairs were, thinking she could possibly be there. Instead only the concerned look of the King met his eyes. _

_Eugene tried sending the message through his eyes and minimal facial expression. The King's eyes shifted toward the stairs. She's up there, Eugene thought. He nodded in the direction of the King and took off, bounding up the stairs as fast as he could. He had to explain his side to Rapunzel and hoped that she wasn't crying. Crying made it harder._

…

With slow and cautious footsteps, Eugene approached the bed. "Rapunzel…look. That princess came onto me. She wanted to…to…" He couldn't explain to her what exactly the princess had wanted to do so he left it out.

"I turned her down, Rapunzel, I did. And then I spent the rest of the time trying to find you. And the entire time, all of this was happening, I was thinking about you. About how much I love you and wanted to be with you and how much I hurt you. Please Rapunzel, I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry."

He waited in bated breath for any sign of movement. The sobbing still occurred, but slowly the sheets were peeled back. Eventually sitting up, teary face and all, Rapunzel stared at Eugene. "Do you really mean that?" she asked in a small, shaky voice.

Eugene's eyes lit up sadly. "I do. I mean every word of it."

Rapunzel looked as if she were about to cry again, but instead leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Eugene. Startled and taken aback for a moment, Eugene put his hands on the small of her back.

"I'm sorry I doubted you, Eugene," Rapunzel said.

"It's okay." A brief silence began and Rapunzel broke it.

"Eugene?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Rapunzel."

And they stayed like that for a long, long time.

…

**AN- Please review! If you have a word you want me to write a chapter for, don't hesitate to tell me! I might update for Mother's Day, but I'm not sure yet. Thanks!**


	3. Villian

**AN: Hey! Here's the next chapter! Please review! Can we get…5-10 reviews?**

…

Never in a hundred years did she think that she would be a villain. Even as a little girl, Gothel had always dreamed to be one of those little girls out of fairy tale books. The ones that were perfect and carefree; the ones that got a prince charming and a happily ever after.

Eventually, she realized that was only in books. When she became older and more beautiful with each passing day and year, men in her small, ancient town flocked to meet her. They wanted to be the object of her affection. But she didn't want any of it. They were distractions. Foolish distractions that only wanted to take in her beauty and youth.

One day, into her early forties, she discovered a horror. A single grey hair invaded her curly, black mane.

She had a panic, and for years on afterwards, began to seek out internal youth solutions around the country. Nothing seemed to work, and day after day, she found herself getting older and older. Wrinkles, a hunched spine, grey mane, and a hag-like appearance overtook her.

She eventually found herself returning to her home village, looking for wildflowers to go into her soup. In a moment, Gothel stumbled and when she caught herself, she put her basket aside and sat on the grass. Her spot overlooked a small cliff, merging into a valley. She looked up at the fading sunlight and sighed.

Suddenly, a bright burst of light shot down from the sky and hit something on the small drop below her. Curious to find out what it was, Gothel climbed her way down to a small landing and saw a single golden, glowing flower swaying in the small breeze.

Seeing the flower, reminded Gothel of an old nursery tale song. Stroking the soft petals, she began singing.

"Flower, gleam and glow. Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt. Change the Fates' design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine. What once was mine."

Gothel felt a rush of rejuvenating euphoria; her wrinkles receding, her back straightening, her hair turning back into its shiny curls.

After many failed attempts to stay youthful and beautiful, this was her dream come true. She couldn't let anyone else find this. This was her special gift from above. Dumping out the wildflowers and covering the flower with her basket, Gothel turned and made her way out of the forest. Maybe she would have a happy ending after all.

…

Hundreds of years passed and Gothel watched things rise and fall, people being born and die, and still she was able to harness the power of her golden flower.

A nearby kingdom began to prosper and a young king and queen had just gotten married. Already starting out, this new kingdom was said to be the best in centuries. Soon, the Queen became pregnant and the kingdom rejoiced in happiness. But towards the end of her term, the Queen fell ill. Extremely ill.

In desperate search for a remedy to save the Queen and her baby, the kingdom looked high and low, the palace guards stumbling across Gothel's golden flower.

Not only could the flower have the power to turn things youthful, but also it could heal. Gothel's flower was found out. The flower was taken back to the castle of Corona where the flower saved the Queen and her baby.

The baby girl, Rapunzel, was born with luscious, blonde locks. She was the only person in all the kingdom with blonde hair. Some said that it was because of the ability of the golden flower.

And that got Gothel thinking.

Now without her youth potion, the only thing to do was to get it back. Gothel would sneak into the castle and cut a lock of the baby Princess.

Gothel snuck in late into the night through the window. She stood over the Princess's crib, a Corona kingdom themed mobile above. The scissors in Gothel's withered hand carefully crept towards the baby's hair as she began singing.

"Flower gleam and glow. Let your power shine. Make the clock re-!"

Snip and Gothel gasped silently. The small clipped piece of golden hair was now brown. This would not do. Suddenly, the scissors slipped from Gothel's grasp and fell with a dull clank on the wooden floor.

The baby moved and let out a small whine. Gothel stood frozen. It was only a matter of time before the Princess began crying. Crying would lead to discovery and arrest.

Gothel leaned down and cradled the baby in her arms. Footsteps presented themselves from outside the door. In adrenaline and fear, Gothel escaped using her entrance and stole into the night.

She had just committed a crime. She had just stolen Princess Rapunzel. But her youth secret had returned to her. And she was determined to keep it hidden forever.

…

**AN- Please review! Please…it's my birthday in 4 days!**


	4. Realization

**AN- Sorry I haven't updated in forever! But here it is! Chapter 4! Disclaimer and enjoy!**

…

Painted in front of her was a mural of the King, Queen, and the Lost Princess as a baby. Villagers put flowers down in front of the mural, and Rapunzel heard a little girl say, "It's for the Lost Princess."

There was something just out of Rapunzel's grasp that she could not comprehend. The Lost Princess had the same blonde hair as her and the same big, green eyes. And why did the kingdom's symbol of a golden sun seem _so_ familiar?

As Rapunzel lay on her bed, back in the tower, she couldn't help but feel like something was missing. Maybe it was her freedom missing, or a little of her pride or even the fact that Eugene was gone.

She looked up at her own paintings covering the walls. They were full of memories and dreaming and fun. The different hues all blended together to form little sections of her own story. And then she saw it. Saw the kingdom's symbol hiding in her murals.

What were they doing there? She had never seen the kingdom's symbol before her adventure-but she had. She had seen it in a child's mobile, in the flags, and even in the Lost Princess's mural. The realization hit her so hard and fast that she knocked over items her dressing table in an effort to get off the bed. She was the Lost Princess.

"Rapunzel? Rapunzel, what's going on up there?" she heard her mother call. But Gothel was no longer her 'mother'. She was a cruel, traitorous woman that kidnapped the Princess. That kidnapped_ Rapunzel_ from her _parents_.

Rapunzel was done being used and lied to. She just wanted her life back-the life she was supposed to have had. And she would get away from Gothel and her tower if it was the last thing she did.

…

**AN: Please REVIEW!**


	5. Fall

**AN: New chapter! Disclaimer and enjoy! And Brave was amazing!**

…

There was no doubt about it: Eugene had fallen hard. Fallen hard in love and couldn't get back up. Never, _never _did Eugene think that his, well Flynn Rider's, dreams would be put on hold because of a girl. Especially a girl previously locked in a tower with seventy feet of hair. But now, he found himself forgetting what his thieving goals were and pushing more towards wanting to be with her.

So as she handed him the prized satchel with the Royal crown contained in it-the thing that started him on this adventure with her- he put it aside in the boat. He wanted to be in the moment with her; to see her lifelong dream; to see her floating lanterns. And he had almost forgotten his alliance with the Stabbington brothers.

Almost.

…

The crown had fallen from their grasp and into the hands of Flynn Rider. His cunning ways had foiled them once again. But not this time. Why? Because the crown didn't matter anymore. It was the girl that they wanted-the girl with the long, powerful hair. And the old lady told them exactly where they needed to find her.

…

He was so, _so _close to kissing her and he so wanted to, although there was the nagging feeling of something on shore. From the corner of his eye, Eugene saw a blue light and the brute body of one of his former accomplices. How did they find him? Eugene wanted them to leave him and Rapunzel alone. But the only way that could be done was by giving the brothers the crown. "Is everything okay?" Rapunzel asked when he had pulled back.

"Huh? Oh yes, uh, yes of course. I just…" Eugene trailed off as he took the oars and started rowing their boat towards the shore. "I'm sorry, everything is fine. I just have to take care of something," Eugene reassured her. He couldn't stand leaving her, but if the Stabbington brothers were to get off his back, he'd have to.

"Okay," she replied. Her look told him that she trusted him wholeheartedly. And it tore his heart to pieces.

"I'll be right back." He took the satchel from its rested position and slung it over his shoulder. He felt so guilty. As he moved farther from the boat, he wondered what her mind was thinking. Did she hate him? Did she figure out what he was doing? Why didn't he kiss her? He hated the moments away from her.

He found them, waiting, almost hiding in the fog. "Ah, there you are. Huh, I've been searching everywhere for you guys since we got separated. Hey, the sideburns are coming in nicely, huh? Gotta be excited about that." He tried to release the obvious tension. "Hmm, anyway just wanted to say, I shouldn't have split, the crown is all yours, I'll miss ya, but I think it's for…the best." He had started backing away, when he bumped into something hard. He had bumped into one of the brothers.

"Holding out on us again, eh Rider?"

"What?" Eugene asked. He just gave them the crown; what more did they want?

"We heard you found somethin' else. Somethin' more valuable than the crown," the more in charge brother said with a smirk.

Shock and fear rose up in Eugene. He was talking about Rapunzel.

"We want her instead." The brother behind him grabbed him and held him in place. "You can't have her! Let me go!" Eugene growled, trying to fight back against the hold they had on him. He felt the blow to his stomach and nearly doubled over. All he heard was laughing and the last thing he remembered was that he had left Rapunzel waiting for him.

…

Rapunzel sat there with Pascal, waiting for Eugene to come back. She tried to reassure herself he was going to come back in a few minutes, and she was relieved when she saw his figure in the mist. "Oh, I was thinking you ran off with the crown and left me," she said relieved.

Suddenly, the single figure split into two. "He did," a voice said.

She panicked. "What? No, he wouldn't." He liked her right? He said he'd be right back.

"See for yourself." And there Eugene was sailing away in another boat with the satchel beside him. How could he? He lied to her!

"Eugene! Eugene!" she called to him. She was devastated.

"Fair trade: the crown for the girl with the magic hair? How much do you think someone would pay to stay young and healthy forever?" said one of the red haired men. The other man held a bag out.

"No-please-no!" she yelled and ran from them, only for her braid to get caught on a log. Rapunzel yanked and yanked until she heard her mother calling her name. How did she find her? "Mother?"

"Rapunzel! Are you alright-did they hurt you?" she asked frantically. Her mother explained how she had followed Rapunzel to the kingdom, and saw the confrontation occur.

Rapunzel looked back at the boat sailing further and further away, and tears welled up in her eyes. She had fallen into loving him and he had broken her heart.

…

With a thump, he was jerked and brought back into consciousness. His hands were tied and palace guards surrounded him. Where was Rapunzel? Why was it light outside? Where _was_ she? The guards were taking him away to jail and he realized that he had fallen into the Stabbington brothers' trap. They had gotten revenge on him. And he was going to be hanged for it.

…

Everything made sense now. She was the Lost Princess. The mobile, the symbol…why had her mother-_Gothel_- why had Gothel stolen her then? Who would do that? And Gothel had lied about others wanting her for her hair. In truth, Gothel was the one who wanted Rapunzel for herself.

…

Eugene pushed Maximus to the limit to get to her tower. He needed to make sure she was safe from that witch, Gothel-the one who posed as Rapunzel's mother for eighteen years. He couldn't believe how someone would be able to keep up a lie like that for so long.

When he reached her tower, he jumped off of Max, and called her name; called for her to let her long hair down. He waited moments in agony until her locks came cascading down the wall and he grabbed hold.

He was relieved the closer he was to her. But he knew nothing was right when he saw her bound and gagged, trying to get his attention. Within a blink of an eye and a stab of a blade, he had fallen, dying in his own blood.

…

Somehow, magically, her tears had still healed him even though her hair was now brown and strewn on the floor. But it was far from magical the way that Rapunzel's captor had fallen from the tower's window, aging and withering before finally making contact with the forest ground.

…

**AN: I really liked writing that! Hope you enjoyed reading that! PLEASE REVIEW!**

Her mother was there to save her; to protect her.

-gothel tricked them, told them about rapunzel and then betrayed them so it was easier for gothel to get rapunzel back. She told them that they could get revenge on Flynn


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